When Our Research Interlaces with History

George Washington was General to the Continental Army and became the first President of the United States

A while back I shared a review of the book, His Other Life. The author, set out to determine her father’s connection to Tennessee Williams.

Our ancestors were not solitary figures. They had hopes, dreams and friendships of their own.

Whether they served in the Revolutionary War with the Swamp Fox {Francis Marion}, served under General George Washington, was related to Davey Crockett or friends with Tennessee Williams, they had their own experience with names that have been preserved through history.

Just as we do not live underneath a rock, neither did our ancestors. They were influenced by people and events in history the same way we are. We never know when we may find an ancestor that had an integral role in history.

To learn more, we can do as Melanie McCabe did in her book and uncover their connection with people and events in history.

Such a journey requires considerable time, effort and research but will take us on a journey we never envisioned. In the process, we will learn more about that event in history, our ancestor and maybe even ourselves.

Have you researched an ancestor’s connection to an event or person in history?